Do Arsenal really need Luis Suarez when they have Lukas Podolski in their ranks?

Luis Suarez

I have always been of the view that the teams that win trophies and ultimately the Premier League have a multiple goal threat. Despite the fact that history will always focus on 2003/4, for me the greatest attacking football I have ever seen was in the 2001/2 Double-winning season.

Arsenal had goals from everywhere. We have five players in double figures in all competitions which has never been matched to my knowledge. Even in the league we finished with three in double figures, Henry 24, Ljungberg 12, Wiltord 10 and then Pires and Bergkamp on nine each.

Surely, a side that can offer that sort of multiple threats would win silverware today? Well interestingly only two sides this century have finished the Premier League campaign with four players in double figures. The first was the title winning Chelsea team of 2010/11 with Malouda 13, Drogba 12, Lampard 10 and Kalou 10. 45 goals from four attacking players, which is mighty impressive we would all agree.

It has only been done on one other occasion at that was in 2012/13 by Arsenal. Yes you read correctly. Walcott 14, Cazorla 12, Podolski 11 and Giroud 10. 47 league goals from four attacking players all of whom where in our first choice 11 for the bulk of last season, certainly until February when Podolski was not.

Surprising perhaps then that most fans feel we are crying out for a new striker and some suggest we need two.

The table below also strongly suggests that over a league season Arsenal’s attempts on goal or crucially the accuracy and ratio of chances taken are not necessarily our issue:

Club	Attempts on target	Shots on goal	Goals	Ratio
Manchester United	237 (56,7%)	418	86	20,6%
Chelsea	200 (50,0%)	400	75	18,8%
Arsenal	210 (52,4%)	401	72	18,0%
Reading	110 (44,0%)	250	43	17,2%
Aston Villa	145 (51,6%)	281	47	16,7%
West Bromwich Albion	157 (48,6%)	323	53	16,4%
Fulham	166 (53,4%)	311	50	16,1%
Sunderland	137 (51,7%)	265	41	15,5%
Norwich City	122 (44,9%)	272	41	15,1%
Liverpool	236 (49,8%)	474	71	15,0%
Manchester City	232 (51,2%)	453	66	14,6%
Wigan Athletic	158 (48,9%)	323	47	14,6%
West Ham United	149 (47,6%)	313	45	14,4%
Southampton	170 (49,6%)	343	49	14,3%
Everton	204 (52,2%)	391	55	14,1%
Tottenham Hotspur	247 (52,6%)	470	66	14,0%
Swansea City	167 (48,4%)	345	47	13,6%
Stoke City	121 (45,8%)	264	34	12,9%
Newcastle United	178 (49,6%)	359	45	12,5%
Queens Park Rangers	140 (43,9%)	319	30	9,4%

Only five teams had more efforts on goal than Arsenal last season but actually only Manchester United, the champions and Chelsea converted more of the chances they created.

I would argue further then that the issue is not the attacking players we have. It may just be the quality of the chance we are creating. What do I mean by that?

Well, it is telling I feel that the four players who managed to score 10 or more times for Arsenal in the league also provide us with our main goal creativity. Carzola 12, Walcott 10 and Podolski 9 created nearly half of our tally of 72.

This is all well and good but the concern is that if we look at those who played the majority of the games for us in the midfield three, with the exception of Santi, when he was there is little to no creativity in the goal assist stakes at least.

Arteta, Ramsey, Wilshere and Rosicky managed 9 assist between them over a season in which the four features in 117 matches. Surely for a team looking to win title, this is simply unacceptable?

No supply line for CM is an issue

So as I meander along I think I am finally arriving at the point I probably set up to make. Are our strikers failing? Not necessarily, but as a team are we creating enough truly good scoring opportunities for them? Almost certainly not the evidence suggests.

Assuming we maintain the same formation, not a definite, whoever is given the primary responsibility of the central attacking midfield role and also that of the more advances of the two pivots has to step up their game in 2013/14. For me with all things being equal and with no additions that means Cazorla back at the creative hub and a fully fit Podolski back our wide left.

However all things will not stay the same and I have a very strong suspicion that Arsenal will have a new man at the helm pulling the strings and it is this role not the prolific striker signing that provides the key to success.

I will welcome a new striker to compete with Podolski and Giroud, whether it be Suarez , Rooney or another we don’t know about as yet. But however individually brilliant this new addition is and how much our incumbants improve, which they will, they will all need an improved, innovative and more accurate supply line.

When the supply line is accurate, the half chances become gilt edged chances, the 50% of chances taken becomes 60/65%, the 10/15 goals becomes 15/20 and dare I say it fourth becomes 1st.

We need that player who plays the trough ball to die for, the chip to land on a sixpence and the reverse pass to bamboozle the best defence.

Who do we need?